Place
Kumamoto
熊本県
30 items
● 27 born here(Gane-age, Tai Somen, Tako Meshi, and more) / ● 2 raised here(Amakusa Daio, Kumamoto Akaushi) / ● 1 prepared here(Kuma Shochu) / ○ 1 known for it here
Born here27
- Gane-ageがね揚げjulienned sweet potato fried into a crab-leg shapeSweet potato cut into batons is coated in a ginger-sweetened batter and deep-fried. "Gane" is Amakusa dialect for crab, said to describe the shape of the fried strands, and the dish also serves as a vegetarian offering at Buddhist services.
- Tai Somen鯛そうめんAmakusa tai somen — somen noodles simmered in the broth of a whole simmered sea breamSomen noodles are simmered in the broth of sea bream head and bones cooked down whole — a celebratory dish said to reflect the influence of nearby Shimabara's somen tradition. In Yamato's Mamihara, a version called "taimen" simmers the whole fish instead.
- Tako Meshiたこ飯Amakusa tako meshi — rice cooked or mixed with rehydrated sun-dried octopusSun-dried octopus is rehydrated, chopped, and either cooked into rice with burdock and carrot or mixed in afterward — a dish that leans on the concentrated flavor of dried octopus, known for the summer sight of octopus hung out to dry in Amakusa's Ariake.
- Baniku Soba馬肉蕎麦soba topped with sweet-simmered horse meatFrom the Aso area of Kumamoto: hot soba topped with horse meat simmered sweet and salty. It's said to carry the history of a region where horse meat took root as a restorative food for the injured and ill.
- Butaaeぶたあえoctopus and eggplant stir-fried in sweet miso, named for the pork it once stood in forBoiled octopus and eggplant are stir-fried in a sweet, spicy barley miso — an Amakusa home dish said to have begun as a stand-in for pork, once hard to come by, using the local octopus instead while keeping the old name, "pork mix."
- Dagojiruだご汁hand-torn wheat dumplings simmered in a root-vegetable miso soupWheat-flour dough is torn by hand into dumplings and simmered with seasonal root vegetables in a miso or soy broth. "Dago" is Kumamoto dialect for dumpling, and the dish is said to have long fed farmers between fieldwork.
- Hone Kajiri骨かじりbone-in wild boar or pork simmered for hours and eaten by handBone-in wild boar or pork is simmered from cold water for about three hours and seasoned with nothing but salt — named, it is said, for how everyone sucks the marrow from the bone, a banquet dish in Oku-Kuma said to trace back to hunters' cooking.
- Ikinari Dangoいきなり団子steamed dumpling wrapping sweet potato and sweet bean pasteSlices of sweet potato and sweet bean paste are wrapped in a wheat dough and steamed into a snack. "Ikinari" means "quickly" in Kumamoto dialect, said to reflect how fast it could be made for a visiting guest, best eaten warm.
- Ichimonji no Guruguru一文字のぐるぐるblanched leek greens coiled around their own white stalkThe white base of blanched wakegi (a bunching-onion relative) is used as a spool for its own green leaves to coil around, then served with sweet or spicy vinegar-miso — said to have been devised as a cheap drinking snack during a Higo domain austerity edict.
- Jabara Daikon no Nimono蛇腹大根（房切り大根）の煮物accordion-cut dried daikon simmered with vegetablesDaikon is scored and stretched into an accordion shape, then dried in the cold winter wind of southern Aso into a keeping food — said to be a seasonal sight there — before being rehydrated and simmered, its dried texture crisp and its flavor concentrated.
- Karashi Renkonからし蓮根deep-fried lotus root stuffed with mustard misoBoiled lotus root is packed with mustard miso, coated in batter, and deep-fried into a crunchy, sharp side dish said to have once been a closely guarded recipe of the Hosokawa clan; sliced, its holes echo the family crest.
- Kasuyoseかすよせcoarsely ground soybeans stewed with root vegetables and chicken into riceSoybeans soaked overnight and coarsely crushed are simmered down with taro, carrot, chicken, and rice into a thick stew — said to have been made in Yamato for festivals and celebrations, serving as a main dish, side, or even a snack.
- Konoshiro no Sugatazushiこのしろの姿寿司whole vinegar-cured konoshiro stuffed with sushi riceKonoshiro herring, split along the back and cured in sweet vinegar, is stuffed with a log of sushi rice and plated head and tail upright — a festive sushi said to date to the Edo period along the Yatsushiro Sea, the vinegar cure a way to keep fast-spoiling fish.
- Koppa Mochiこっぱもちsun-dried sweet potato pounded together with steamed mochi riceSweet potato is boiled, sliced, and sun-dried into "koppa," then pounded together with steamed glutinous rice and sugar into a mochi. Made at home as a keeping food in rice-poor Amakusa, it is said to have been prized as a New Year treat.
- Kumamoto Ramen熊本ラーメンTonkotsu — pork bonepork broth finished with fried garlic oilA pork-bone broth finished with oil made from browned garlic. The noodles are thicker than those used in Hakata.
- Basashi馬刺しthinly sliced raw horse meat dipped in sweet soy sauceThin slices of raw horse meat are eaten with grated ginger, onion, and sweet soy sauce — a Kumamoto specialty said to trace back to Kato Kiyomasa eating his own war horses during a Korean campaign, later spreading around Aso in the postwar food shortage.
- Yubeshi柚餅子Kumamoto yubeshi — glutinous rice pounded with miso and yuzu, steamed in bamboo barkGlutinous rice is pounded with yuzu, miso, and sugar, wrapped in bamboo bark, and steamed into a mochi sweet. In Kikuchi it survives as a confection said to trace to wartime provisions, while Hitoyoshi-Kuma keeps an entirely different version, stuffed inside a hollowed yuzu and air-dried.
- Makigaki巻柿dried persimmons layered, rolled in bamboo bark, and bound with straw ropeSun-dried persimmons are split, layered a dozen or so at a time, wrapped in bamboo bark, and bound tightly with straw rope into a keepable sweet. Its name evokes "gathering good fortune," and it is said to be sought as a year-end gift and New Year charm.
- Mazemeshiまぜ飯Mazegohan — chicken, burdock, and shiitake simmered sweet-savory and folded into hot riceChicken, burdock, and dried shiitake are cut fine, simmered sweet in soy, and folded into freshly cooked rice. At the autumn festival of Rokka Shrine in Kashima, some households are said to use horse meat instead of chicken.
- Nankan-age Makizushi南関あげ巻き寿司sushi rolled in sweet-simmered fried tofu skin instead of noriVinegared rice and fillings are rolled not in nori but in nankan-age, a thin fried tofu skin simmered sweet and salty. Twice-fried to remove moisture for long keeping, nankan-age is also prized for the rich broth it releases in soups.
- Shaku no Tempuraシャクの天ぷらdeep-fried mud shrimp eaten whole, shell and allShaku, a mud shrimp burrowing deep in tidal flats, is battered and deep-fried shell and all — a summer delicacy that spoils fast enough to rarely leave Kumamoto, eaten whole, shell, meat, and innards, for its intensely rich flavor.
- Taipiien太平燕a Chinese-style glass noodle soup topped with a deep-fried hard-boiled eggGlass noodles anchor a Chinese-style soup of stir-fried pork, shrimp, and vegetables, topped with a deep-fried hard-boiled egg. Said to trace back to a festive Fujian dish, brought by Chinese immigrants via Nagasaki in the late Meiji era.
- Tamana Ramen玉名ラーメンTonkotsu — pork bonethe Kurume-lineage bowl that fed Kumamoto's foundersA pork-bone ramen from Tamana, Kumamoto Prefecture. Said to trace to 1952, when the Kurume shop Sanku opened a branch near the old Takase station, and to have inspired the founders of Kumamoto ramen's leading shops after tasting it there.
- Tojiko Mameとじこ豆roasted soybeans bound in a sweet wheat-flour dough and steamed in bamboo barkRoasted soybeans are simmered in sugar water, bound with wheat flour, wrapped in bamboo bark, and steamed into a simple sweet — its name said to mean "beans sealed in sweet dough," traditionally made every year-end in Yamaga's Kikuka district.
- Tsubonjiruつぼん汁a clear soy-seasoned soup of chicken, kamaboko, and root vegetables served in odd numbersChicken, kamaboko, and root vegetables like taro and burdock are cut small and simmered in a soy-seasoned sardine broth. Said to originate in autumn-festival banquet trays of the Hitoyoshi-Kuma area, its ingredients are traditionally kept to an odd number.
- Yaki Ayu no Kanroni焼鮎の甘露煮charcoal-grilled ayu simmered sweet in soyAyu heading downstream to spawn are skewered and charcoal-grilled, then slow-simmered in a sweet soy glaze into a preserved dish. Raised in the swift, clear Kuma River, the fish are said to soften enough to eat bones and all, even cold.
- Yama Surume no Kinpira山するめのきんぴらsun-dried bamboo shoot strips stir-simmered sweet in soyBoiled bamboo shoots sun-dried into "yama surume" (mountain dried squid) are rehydrated, cut into strips, and stir-simmered in soy and sugar. The name is said to come from how the dried shoots resemble dried squid, offering a texture unlike fresh bamboo.
Raised here2
- Amakusa Daio天草大王a giant breed revived a century after it vanishedA large-bodied meat fowl once kept in Amakusa in the Meiji and Taisho eras, said to have died out in the early Showa period before Kumamoto prefecture spent roughly a decade recreating it; reportedly among the biggest jidori breeds, shipped at 120–150 days.
- Kumamoto Akaushiくまもとあか牛Brown Japanese cattle pastured on the Aso caldera's grasslandsBrown Japanese cattle raised in Kumamoto, which accounts for roughly 70% of the breed nationwide — largely pastured around Aso, its birthplace, with lean meat carrying modest marbling and pronounced umami.
Prepared here1
Known for it here11
- HinohikariヒノヒカリKnown sourcea heat-tolerant favorite across western JapanA grandchild of Koshihikari, said to be heat-tolerant and widely grown across western Japan, with balanced stickiness and sweetness that holds up when cooled. Its name evokes 'the light of the sun', and it's said to be the most-planted variety in Kyushu.One of the leading production areas; said to have been bred at Miyazaki's agricultural station.
- NikomaruにこまるKnown sourcea high-temperature-resistant variety from KyushuSaid to hold its quality even in high heat, with large grains and strong stickiness; bred at the Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center to cope with warming. Its name plays on 'whether boiled or grilled', and it's said to suit donburi and sushi rice alike.Said to be spreading across Kyushu prefectures as a heat-tolerant variety.
- Mori no Kumasan森のくまさんKnown sourceKumamoto's ‘bear of the forest’ premium riceSaid to have been bred by Kumamoto aiming for 'the tastiest rice in Japan', with large grains and strong stickiness and sweetness, now a local flagship. Named after Kumamoto's mascot bear, it's said to score well in the prefecture's own taste contests.Marketed as Kumamoto's brand rice.
- HimenomochiヒメノモチKnown sourceKumamoto's smooth, low-cracking mochi riceA mochi rice said to be smooth on the palate and resistant to cracking when pounded; bred in Kumamoto and widely grown across Kyushu. Said to be one of the mainstay varieties supporting mochi-rice production in western Japan.Said to have been bred at Kumamoto's agricultural research center.
- Kyushu mugi miso九州麦味噌Known sourcethe sweet, short-aged barley miso of Kyushu's tableA barley miso from Kyushu, said to age quickly and turn out pale and sweet thanks to the region's mild climate. It is said to have taken root where barley, grown as a second crop after rice, was more readily available than rice itself, and many versions carry lower salt than the national average.Barley grown as a rotation crop, where rice cultivation was historically harder, is said to have shaped local miso-making.
- Kyushu amakuchi shoyu九州甘口醤油Known sourcethe sugar-rounded sweet soy sauce of KyushuA sweetened soy sauce popular across Kyushu, made with added sugar or other sweeteners. Its roots are often traced to sugar arriving early via Edo-era trade with Portuguese and Dutch merchants, and to a local habit of using sweetness to complement very fresh raw fish — it remains the everyday sashimi soy sauce of the region.One of the main production and consumption areas for Kyushu's sweet soy sauce.
- TorafuguトラフグWhite fishKnown sourcetiger pufferfish — the prized, licensed fish of winterA premium fish whose toxin requires a licensed chef to prepare. Sliced paper-thin as tessa sashimi or simmered in hot pot — fish raised in fast strait currents firm up notably, and ports with large markets refined the knife skill needed to serve it safely.
- Kuruma Ebi車海老Shrimp and crabKnown sourcethe striped prawn whose curled body suggests a cartwheelA striped prawn said to be named for its wheel-like curl when curled up. Cooking firms the flesh and heightens a rich sweetness, known as a premium item served live or as tempura.The ria coast around Amakusa is a major farming area.
- AsariアサリShellfishKnown sourcethe everyday clam of miso soup and sand-digging outingsA small bivalve familiar from beach clam-digging outings. Once purged of sand, it releases a strong broth in sake-steaming or miso soup, its flesh springy, best filled out just before spring spawning.The shallow, nutrient-rich Ariake Sea is a major fishing ground.
- Takana-zuke高菜漬けmustard greens pickled with chili, a Kyushu everyday stapleMustard greens salted with chili — a pickle found across Kyushu. There is a lightly salted fresh version and an aged one fermented for half a year, and both get chopped into rice, stir-fries, and more.Home to Aso takana, grown in cold air and volcanic-ash soil and salted with chili right after harvest.
- FurikakeふりかけKnown sourcedry rice seasoningA dry, seasoned mix of fish, nori, sesame, and the like sprinkled over rice, said to have been devised in Taisho-era Kumamoto as a way to make up for a calcium shortage. Today it comes in a wide range of combinations.In 1913, a Kumamoto pharmacist named Yoshimaru Suekichi is said to have devised 'Gohan no Tomo' as a way to make up for a calcium shortage — the origin credited for furikake.